Same Old, Same Old
by othertim
Summary: With Rory off to visit Christopher, Lorelai wonders if her life is becoming too routine. No, I haven't forgotten. Chapter 3 finally up.
1. Chapter 1

Okay, here goes nothing. This is my first attempt at this. It's supposed to take place after The Bracebridge Dinner, but before Secrets and Loans, Richard in Stars Hollow, etc. This is just the first few scenes, I'm really not certain where it's going to go from here, but please read and review anyway and let me know if I should keep it going. Thanks!  
  
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Disclaimer: I am not Amy Sherman-Palladino. I don't own Gilmore Girls, she does. These are her characters, not mine. But this is my bad writing, not hers.  
  
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Lorelai entered Rory's room as she continued packing for her visit to Christopher's apartment in Boston. Rory was working on her second large suitcase.  
  
"Rory, sweetie, you do know you're not moving out for a few more years, right?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"Well, I just want to go completely prepared. I don't want to forget anything at all."  
  
"And taking your entire room is the best way to do that? Imelda Marcos didn't pack that many pairs of shoes with her when she traveled."  
  
"I *am* leaving the bed sheets."  
  
"Fair enough. But I don't think we have another suitcase so you can pack your boyfriend."  
  
"Dean's not going, Mom. We'll survive. Somehow."  
  
"I'm sure you can live without each other for a few days. Besides, your dad said he and Sherry were both excited that you were coming to visit."  
  
"I wonder what my new mommy is like!"  
  
"Funny girl. Hey, I'll be at--" Lorelai said, starting to leaving the room.  
  
"Luke's later, I know," Rory interrupted without looking up.  
  
"Right," Lorelai said, pausing before heading out the door. "See you later, babe."  
  
"Bye, mom!"  
  
  
  
Entering Luke's Diner, Lorelai headed straight for the counter, where Luke had his back turned.  
  
"Luke, am I becoming too predictable?" Lorelai asked.  
  
"Here's your coffee," Luke said as he turned around.  
  
"The judges will accept that as a yes," she responded, accepting the coffee.  
  
"Come on, predictability is what makes the world go round. Everyone needs a routine. It's comfortable, you're used to it, it's...predictable"  
  
"It's also boring. All of Stars Hollow sets their watches based on when I get my coffee in the morning."  
  
"They do not," Luke replied.  
  
"Oh yeah? Watch this. Morning, Kirk!" Lorelai said, turning to a nearby table.  
  
"Right on time, Lorelai," Kirk said, tipping his cup.  
  
"See? Completely predictable. It's like I'm in 'Groundhog Day.' And there's never a bathtub and a toaster when you need one."  
  
"You're judging yourself just by Kirk? He sets his watch nine times a day. The next time he does it is when I remind him that he sets his watch NINE times a day," Luke said, raising his voice toward Kirk.  
  
"Thanks Luke!" Kirk interjected.  
  
"Whatever, Kirk," Luke replied, turning back to Lorelai. "Anyway, I like my routine. I wake up, open, serve people coffee, close, go to sleep."  
  
"And then lather, rinse and repeat."  
  
"Well, basically. Don't worry, there's nothing wrong with being predictable."  
  
"But there's everything wrong with being boring. This weekend, Rory's heading off to Christopher's for a few days so I'm actually going to have the house to myself."  
  
"I'll arrange for adult supervision right away."  
  
"Please, I'll be fine. Friday night, like every Friday night, I'm having dinner with my folks, but Saturday I won't have Rory, so I'll be lost and hopeless and my boring old routine will be thrown off so I was wondering if Saturday night you wanted to…"  
  
"Supervise?"  
  
"Something like that."  
  
"Well, I can't guarantee anything yet, but I'll keep it in mind."  
  
"Works for me. Hey, I've got to get to the Inn, but I'll need—"  
  
"Here you go," Luke said, handing Lorelai another cup of coffee in a to-go cup.  
  
"Note to self: find toaster and bathtub," Lorelai said, accepting the second cup of coffee before heading out of the diner. 


	2. Chapter 2

Sheesh, now I really feel pressured to come up with something good after all that positive feedback from the first chapter. Thanks, everyone! I don't think this is as good as my first chapter, but I don't want to keep you all waiting forever, so here you are. And yes, if it has to be classified, you can call it a Luke/Lorelai. Eventually. I think I have an idea of where the story is going now, too. (minor revision made 2/10)  
  
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Disclaimer: I am still not Amy Sherman-Palladino. Damn.  
  
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Lorelai entered the Independence Inn to find Michel at the desk taking a call.  
  
"Lorelai? No, I'm sorry, she's not available at the moment, may I take a message?" Michel Frenched into the phone upon seeing Lorelai enter.  
  
"I'm here Michel, I'll take it," Lorelai said, placing her purse and coffee at the desk.  
  
"Okay, I will tell her," Michel said as he hung up. "That was for you. It sounded important."  
  
"Well then, if they call back, I'm not here."  
  
"That can certainly be arranged."  
  
"I keep forgetting that reverse psychology never works on you. I'll be in the kitchen with Sookie," Lorelai said. She started to walk away, but the phone started to ring again. She raced for it, but Michel was standing right there.  
  
"Independence Inn, Michel speaking. No, I'm sorry, Lorelai hasn't arrived yet," he said as Lorelai walked into the kitchen in a huff.  
  
Once in the kitchen, Lorelai saw no sign of Sookie.  
  
"Sookie?"  
  
"In here, Lorelai!" Sookie yelled from the supply closet.  
  
"Okay, which one of you finally had enough and locked Sookie in the pantry?" Lorelai said, looking around at the assistant chefs.  
  
"No, I'm fine, Lorelai, just putting some supplies away," Sookie replied. This was followed by a loud crashing noise. Lorelai rushed over.  
  
"Sookie! Are you okay? What are you doing?"  
  
"I'm fine. I'm just making sure I have everything I need for this week's menu."  
  
"You've planned the menu for the week already?"  
  
"I have the same menu every week, remember?"  
  
"But don't you find that too boring and predictable?" Lorelai asked, helping Sookie pick up the fallen boxes.  
  
"I don't think it is. Everyone likes that Thursday is risotto day, and Monday is baked chicken with mixed vegetables day."  
  
"And Wednesday is Prince Spaghetti Day?"  
  
"No, Wednesday is broiled fish day, silly!"  
  
"Okay," Lorelai said, changing the topic. "What about you and Jackson? Do you think your relationship is getting stuck in a routine?"  
  
"Not at all! Just last night we..." Sookie continued whispering to Lorelai.  
  
"Naughty Sookie! You can't say those things in here!" a shocked Lorelai responded. "The corn has ears and the potatoes have eyes, honey." Sookie giggled.  
  
"So what's up with you? Why so worried about becoming boring?"  
  
"I think it started when I realized my father was retiring. All he's known, and all I've known, is that he gets up, goes to work, and comes home and does the same thing again the next day."  
  
"And?"  
  
"He's never going to have a routine again. He can do anything he wants, and never do the same thing twice. Which is what I want with Rory and with my life, but a boring routine feels like I'm falling into. And since she's going to visit Christopher this weekend, I have no idea what to do with myself."  
  
"So what are you doing?"  
  
"Well, I kind of asked Luke to..."  
  
"Asked Luke to what?"  
  
"Supervise."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I don't know, I guess I kind of invited him over."  
  
"Invited Luke over? To do what?"  
  
"I don't know, I panicked because my whole routine was thrown off."  
  
"But that's a good thing!"  
  
"We'll see, I guess. Well, I've got to not get back to the desk so I can not be there."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Michel."  
  
"Say no more," Sookie said as Lorelai left.  
  
Later, at the Gilmore house, Rory was dragging one of her large suitcases outside. When she finished moving the first one, she ran back to her room, then slowly dragged the second one out to wait for Christopher's arrival. She bent over to catch her breath. When she looked up, she saw Jess standing near her bags.  
  
"You've been hanging out with Paris, haven't you?" Rory asked, still panting.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Nevermind. Jess, what are you doing here?"  
  
"So, finally had enough of this popsicle stand, huh? Can't say I blame you."  
  
"I'm just going to visit my dad in Boston for a few days. What are you doing here?"  
  
"Eh, I've been there. Makes Stars Hollow look like Mayberry. But Stars Hollow already is Mayberry, so imagine what Boston is like."  
  
"Jess."  
  
"What can I say, I enjoy my afternoon constitutionals."  
  
"Jess! Dean, and my dad, will be here any minute."  
  
" But I'm here now, so I don't think they'll mind too much if I'm talking to you," Jess said as a car pulled into the Gilmore driveway.  
  
"Dad!" Rory said, rushing out to the car and ignoring Jess.  
  
"Hey, Rory!" Christopher said. He got out of the car and gave Rory a big hug. His arrival also drew Lorelai out of the house.  
  
"Well, well, look who's suddenly Mr. Minivan," she said.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. I had to sell the bike to get this. Comes in handy, since a motorcycle doesn't have room for a briefcase or coffee or other important job-like things," Christopher said. He leaned in and whispered to Rory. "The car is Sherry's. I didn't really sell the bike." Rory snickered.  
  
"What's so funny?" Lorelai asked both Rory and Christopher.  
  
"I said I can still smell the bike," Christopher replied, turning to Jess. "And who might you be?"  
  
"I might be leaving. Just not feeling the whole family reunion thing here."  
  
"Bye Jess," Rory said as he walked away.  
  
"So who was that again?"  
  
"Jess. Luke's nephew and all-around public nuisance," Rory said as Dean approached the Gilmore residence.  
  
"And Stars Hollow's Public Enemy #1. They had to create the list just for him. I'm actually #2 for some late video fees and Rory is #3 because of overdue library books." Lorelai added.  
  
"Was that Jess who was just here?" Dean asked. "Man, that guy bugs me."  
  
"Best thing about going to Boston for a few days? No Jess. Worst thing?" They kiss. "No you."  
  
"Ah, now there's a familiar face," Christopher said as Dean and Rory kissed hello. "I'll let you two say goodbye." He walked up to speak to Lorelai.  
  
"Thanks for letting Rory visit for a few days, Lor."  
  
"Hey, no problem. She's really excited."  
  
"And you are?"  
  
"Panicking," Lorelai said, smiling.  
  
"Why? Can't handle a few days by yourself? Should I have arranged for adult supervision?"  
  
"No, I've taken care of that. Just have fun, show her a great time. You know she deserves it."  
  
"Will do. There's a great library near my apartment. We're actually just going to leave her in there the entire time."  
  
"We're all set!" Rory yelled at her parents.  
  
"How much did you pack, anyway?" Christopher asked.  
  
"Just a few things."  
  
"I didn't know `few' meant two gigantic suitcases. Those things were heavy," Dean said.  
  
"Why do you think I asked you to come over before I left?" Rory replied. They kissed again as Lorelai walked toward the car. "See you in a few days."  
  
"Have a great time, kid. Say `chowda' for me," Lorelai said, hugging Rory goodbye.  
  
As the car drove away, Lorelai stood, watched and waved until it was no longer in site. Then she sighed, resolved to spending the next few days all by herself.  
  
(See? Not as good as the first chapter. I'll try to get the third chapter up as soon as I can (containing a dinner scene and then likely another Luke/Lorelai conversation) before there's so many new episodes aired that it's really out of date. :) ) 


	3. Chapter 3

I am sooooooooooo sorry, folks. A variety of things, including a period where I wasn't feeling terribly creative and just plain forgetting about the whole thing happened, and now it's three months later. Oops. Thanks much for the positive feedback. It did convince me to keep going. I hope the next chapter doesn't take as long.  
  
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Disclaimer: Nope, still not Amy Sherman-Palladino  
  
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At Friday night dinner at the elder Gilmore home, the meal was brought to the table by a maid who Lorelai had never seen before. She wasn't the one who served last week's dinner.  
  
"Rory's grateful that you let her out of dinner this week to go visit Christopher in Boston, Mom," Lorelai said, purposely neglecting to mention that he now has a girlfriend.  
  
"She deserves to see her father once in a while. I hear he's actually gainfully employed this time. What does he do in Boston?"  
  
"Well, he opened up his own brothel and Rory's his newest call girl. She only answers to the name Trixie now."  
  
The deafening silence and stares from both Emily and Richard quickly prompted Lorelai to change the topic.  
  
"Um, so, how is my newly retired father?"  
  
"Very well, so far. I spent the past week cleaning out my office and saying my good-byes to coworkers and associates, and now I think I'm ready for the next stage of my life."  
  
"And what exactly will that next stage entail? Musical numbers? A one-man show? Rockettes?"  
  
"Well, I'm not sure yet. I suppose I'm going to be spending a lot more time around the house. I've got some things that I've put off for years that I'm looking forward to completing. You know, catch up on my reading, work on my coin collection, that sort of thing."  
  
"So, a 'just-go-where-the-day-takes-you' kind of existence, huh?"  
  
"I suppose you could call it that, yes."  
  
"Wow. My father. A corporate drone all his life, now free of any burdens of work and able to wander as he pleases. Someone get Ripley's on the phone."  
  
"What are you getting at, Lorelai?"  
  
"I think I know, Richard," Emily said. "Our daughter, forever fearing of leading a dull, mundane life, suddenly realizes with the retirement of her father and without her daughter that her life is just as monotonous." Lorelai paused at Emily once again reading her like a book. And smiling.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The next day, Lorelai was about to enter Luke's Diner, but looked at her watch first. She stopped, walked around the block, then checked her watch again before entering the diner and taking a seat at the counter.  
  
"You're late, Lorelai." Kirk said, sipping his coffee.  
  
"Cram it, Kirk."  
  
"You didn't just walk around the block to kill three minutes before coming in this morning, did you?"  
  
"Go away, Kirk."  
  
"Let me guess, coffee and a burger?" Luke said.  
  
"No, I think I'll have a double tall mocha café latté with skim goat's milk, low foam and cinnamon on top."  
  
"Very funny. Coffee and a burger, coming up."  
  
"Do you have any specials?"  
  
"You know what? As a matter of fact, we do. A burger and coffee, $3.99."  
  
"Oh, okay. You win," Lorelai said. "Just give me the coffee."  
  
"Still on that whole predictibility kick, huh?" Luke replied, handing her a cup of coffee.  
  
"What would make you think that?"  
  
"Well, walking around the block to kill a few minutes before coming in this morning was kind of a tip off."  
  
"Thank you, Allen Funt! And yes, I'm still on it."  
  
"I'm sorry to hear that. Does that mean we're not on for tonight?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, uh, no, of course we're still on. How's eight o' clock for you?"  
  
"Let me think. In Lorelai Gilmore time, 8 o' clock is about 8:30, 8:45, so sure. That'll be fine."  
  
"I meant eight o' clock sharp, silly."  
  
"On time? How about that. At least one good thing will come out of this phase of yours."  
  
"Would you expect anything less from me?" Lorelai smiled back at Luke.  
  
"Please tell me that's rhetorical," he replied. 


End file.
